The Gwagwalada Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory has begun a public enlightenment campaign on the dangers of open defecation in the area.

Mr Tijani Ado, Head of Environmental Department of the council, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gwagwalada on Tuesday that residents would be sensitised against open defecation.

Ado said the campaign was necessary following the United Nation’s report ranking Nigeria among the fifth countries globally where open defecation was common.

 “The UN report is correct. We see people not using toilets and defecating in open places.

“We have started the campaign on health education on Friday.

“We have started going to villages with our vehicles, with public address system to enlighten people about the sanitation activities and the danger of not keeping the environment clean,’’ he said.

He said that the council was planning to build public toilets in strategic and overcrowded places in the area under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.

“We have now located sites and we are trying to see how the drawing by the department of works of the council would look like.

“Adverts would be placed and interested persons could apply for the building of public toilets, while we will supervise,’’ he explained.

NAN recalls that a recent report by United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals Nigeria as one of the top five countries in the world where many citizens prefer to defecate in the public.

The report revealed that the number of people with access to improved sanitation facilities in Nigeria has dropped from 31 per cent last year to 28 per cent this year.

It also revealed that 70 million Nigerians use shared latrines, while 32 million do not have latrines at all, adding that 6.5 million latrines were needed to be built to eliminate open defecation in Nigeria.

UNICEF had confirmed that it was possible to improve the sanitation situation in Nigeria, especially in rural areas, by engaging the communities through a Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach.

Mr Bisi Agberemi of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), however, said in a recent statement that UNICEF was ready to support the Federal Government in its bid to eradicate open defecation by the year 2025. (NAN)